Presently available medical imaging diagnostic apparatuses include X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) scanners, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatuses, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) apparatuses, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, CT angiography apparatuses, MRA (MR angiography) apparatuses and the like.
An image information taken by such a medical imaging diagnostic apparatus (hereinafter referred to simply as an imaging apparatus) is displayed in an image viewer operated by a doctor, or is recorded on an image server in a filing room with a commercially practical image recording/reproducing system (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-114933)).
When the imaging apparatus is used, chemical liquid such as contrast medium, radioactive material, or physiological saline is often injected into a patient in order to provide favorable diagnostic images and for other reasons. Chemical liquid injectors for automatically injecting the chemical liquid have been put into practical use. To prevent use of a wrong type of syringe in the injection, some proposals have conventionally been made, for example, to provide a system which includes a syringe having a data carrier means such as an IC chip for storing chemical data and an injector having a data receiving means (see, for example, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3323204)).
On the other hand, a system for identifying a patient inside and outside a hospital has been proposed to prevent patient mix-ups and smoothly conduct medical practice. A known method for patient identification involves recognition of information in a barcode or on an IC chip (RF tag) embedded in a patient wristband, a fingerprint, an iris or the like by using a portable terminal (PDA) (see Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-348717) and Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-278727)).
The conventional systems, however, require the portable terminal (PDA) for patient identification. It is thus necessary to reserve a space, albeit small, for placing the terminal, and placing the small device may disturb the site for medical practice. In this manner, the injector and the patient identification system have conventionally been provided as independent systems, without any contemplation of information exchange, communication, or coordination performed between them.
Aside from the patient identification, Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-198808) has proposed a system in which injection data is sent to a computer and it is displayed on a display together with a diagnostic image. Patent Document 5, however, has not described transmission or reception of data to or from a management server in a hospital. Thus, there has been a need to provide a system in which image data and injection data are managed in a unified manner and applied usefully to the next test or treatment.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-114933
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3323204
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-348717
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-278727
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-198808